As Rocky Balboa became a global icon, the real-life boxing champ who inspired the character struggled with fame, addiction and the burden of watching a fictionalised version of himself become infinitely more famous than he would ever become.
It was the ultimate underdog story that raised a young Sylvester Stallone out of obscurity and onto the world stage as a Hollywood legend. It also led to multiple Academy Awards, epic box-office takings and a lucrative film franchise spanning five decades. But Rocky wasn’t just a character Stallone magicked from his imagination – he was based on the true story of a living, breathing person.
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His name is Chuck Wepner – aka “The Bayonne Bleeder” – but you’d be forgiven for not knowing his name. In the 1970s, the ex-marine was working as a grog salesman and, most notably, was the New Jersey state heavyweight boxing champion. In 1975, Wepner met Muhammad Ali in the ring to battle for the world heavyweight title and with Wepner as the underdog, many punters expected him to fall within the first two rounds.
Instead, what transpired was an extraordinary battle of 15 rounds. At one point, Wepner even knocked Ali to the ground (although its validity was fiercely disputed by Ali’s camp). Ali then managed to knock Wepner down with 19 seconds to spare in the 15th round, defeating Wepner in a “technical knockout”.
Stallone, then a young, aspiring actor trying to break into the movie industry, had seen the fight and been so inspired that he’d spent the next three-and-a-half days writing the script for what would become Rocky.
The 2016 biopic Chuck, currently streaming for free on Tubi, tells the true story of the man behind the Rocky myth. With a stellar Hollywood cast, it follows Wepner’s (Liev Schreiber) gritty life, his legendary Ali fight and how the boxer’s life changed after the first Rocky movie came out.
It tracks his sudden rise to fame, turbulent personal life and drug-fuelled downfall. This includes his strained relationships with his long-suffering second wife, Phyllis (Elisabeth Moss), daughter Kimberley (Sadie Sink) and brother, John (Michael Rapaport), before he eventually found redemption with his future third wife, Linda (Naomi Watts).
Schreiber is almost unrecognisable in his portrayal of Wepner. He co-wrote and produced the film and starred alongside Watts – who was his long-term partner at the time. Moss’s portrayal of Wepner’s second wife, Phyllis, is a highlight, as is a pre-Stranger Things Sink in a brief, non-talking scene as Wepner’s teenage daughter.
In his role as Stallone, Morgan Spector also makes an appearance, re-enacting three particular instances when the boxer and actor crossed paths. Once when Wepner confronted Stallone in a bar to discuss the Rocky screenplay. Another time when the boxer unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Rocky II. And, finally, when he glimpsed the star on set inside East Jersey State Prison while he was himself incarcerated.
Surprisingly, while Sylvester Stallone publicly acknowledged it was Wepner’s 1975 fight against Ali that inspired him to write the Oscar-winning screenplay, no rights deals or financial agreements were ever formalised with the boxer during the franchise’s first few decades.
That’s not to say Wepner didn’t enjoy the benefits of fame by association. Renowned as “The Real-life Rocky”, he took on several extremely lucrative public appearances, corporate sponsorships and marketing stunts – including a boxing match with an enormous performing bear called Victor (twice) and an exhibition fight with wrestling legend Andre the Giant.
After his retirement from boxing in 1978, Wepner’s life began to spiral out of control when he began overindulging in the spoils that often come with fame. This ultimately contributed to the failure of his second marriage and a drug addiction that cost him his opportunity to star alongside Stallone in Rocky II.
In 1985, Wepner was charged with possession of narcotics and sentenced to prison for 10 years. He ended up serving only 17 months of his jail term, with an additional 20 months under strict parole. For Wepner, the time he spent behind bars proved life-changing. He used this time to get sober and to rebuild his life. On release, he remained clean, returned to his previous career as a liquor salesman and married his third wife, Linda.
As for his relationship with Stallone, the two remained cordial for decades, despite the actor continuing to tantalise Wepner with movie roles that never eventuated. As the Rocky franchise became a billion-dollar franchise, Wepner grew increasingly bitter about his lack of compensation and in 2003 filed a US$15 million right-of-publicity lawsuit against the star.
While Wepner claimed his likeness and life story had been commercialised without compensation, Stallone’s lawyers argued that the actor had rewarded Wepner by allowing him cash in on the “Real Rocky” moniker via paid appearances. After three tumultuous years, they finally came to an agreement and Stallone paid Wepner an undisclosed sum.
These days, there appears to be no hard feelings between the two, with 87-year-old Wepner recently stating to Associated Press, “Stallone and I are friends now. We had to go to court. That was just business. I love Sylvester, I think he’s great. I think his moves are great.”
He would later describe Rocky as “a work of genius”.
For his part, Stallone also doesn’t appear to hold any grudges. In fact, the now-80-year-old actor gave the filmmakers for Chuck his blessing. He also donated a statue of Rocky to the Chuck set, which you’ll recognise in one of the final scenes in the movie.
You can watch Chuck for free right now on Tubi.
